Just Like You
by fishy-alien
Summary: One-shot. Dib's children are horrified by what their father has done. Character-death. Rated T to be safe.


Fingers run worriedly through raven-black hair. It was spiked up, almost like a sword, just like his father's hair at that age. In fact, he looked almost exactly like his father when he was ten, minus the glasses and the trench coat. He always wore the same dark purple t-shirt with his father's insignia in it, a light blue alien symbol that mean "paranormal".

Jix sighed. He liked the paranormal-just not the way his dad treated the paranormal. Ever since his dad had caught that alien back when he was a teenager, his notoriety had grown very large. After that it seemed he was unstoppable. He started discovering more aliens, then Bigfoot, then Nessie…

Jix continued walking down the egg-white hallways, feeling as if he were in a hospital. But no, he knew that his father's laboratory was worse than in a hospital, in all ways, because the patients there were not injured because of an accident, but on purpose.

He suddenly heard a voice coming from the holding area, and entered, wondering who would be in there at such a late hour. He was greeted by the sight of countless paranormal beings, all locked up in electrified cages, some injured, some dying. Quickly spotting the owner of the voice, he began to make his way through the maze to her.

It was his younger sister, Zea, of course. The girl's pink-hued hair, like her aunt's, was impossible to miss. At the moment her auburn eyes were trained to a small, sickly alien, with dark blue eyes and tiny gray horns poking up from its head.

"So, anyways, this girl, like, walks up to me, shoves me, and says that you scum get what you deserve. That is so ridiculous! That's not right. You deserve to be free!" Zea is rambling on and on to the tired alien, who gazes at her sadly, but still listened. It was no secret that Zea strongly disapproved of the treatment their father gave the beings that he caught, but she couldn't help them escape, for father wouldn't trust her with anything relating to the paranormal. He didn't trust Jix either. Their father was always so paranoid, thinking that they were going to betray him.

"Hey," Jix said quietly, startling his sister. "Have you seen dad?" Zea glanced at the alien she had been talking to, and then back to Jix. Her eyes were narrowed, and an intense fire burned within them. "No, and I don't care to know where he is."

Jix stooped down by his sister, knowing that even if she had seen their father, she probably wouldn't tell him. "So….how is No. 1?" he asked, sounding genuinely worried. The "specimen" had been very sick lately, and all the scientists were rushing to save him. _Just so they can perform more experiments on him._ Jix thought bitterly.

"Badly…" Zea replied. "Want to go visit him?"

"Sure."

The two stood up and headed towards the back of the room, where the largest cell was. It was built specifically for the first alien dad ever caught. They entered the room slowly, not wanting to wake him if he was asleep.

"Who's there?" A cautious voice said weakly. Zea and Jix both looked at each other. The alien in the room, simply known as No. 1, was suspended in a liquid tube. Red eyes were cracked open, but they could no longer see.

"Just us." They replied in unison, watching as the alien relaxed. "Oh..." A ragged cough tore from the alien, shaking his small frame violently. "H-hello filthy worm babies of the Dib-thing…"

The prisoner had grown used to them visiting, and although he didn't like them very much, he at least tolerated their presence. Their father couldn't even enter the room without having curses of all kinds thrown at him.

"Are you…okay?" Zea said the suddenly felt stupid for asking. "Yeah. Just peachy." The alien replied sarcastically, punctuating his sentence with another bout of coughing. "Do…do you want us to let you out?" Jix said softly. The alien nodded slowly, too tired to say anything else. Their father didn't know that once Jix had snuck into his office and stolen the pass code for No.1's tube. Ever since then they had made sure to let him out at least once at month, so he could learn to walk again. The alien was always saying how one day he would escape, and free all of the others trapped in here as well. Now he didn't seem to even be able to breathe properly.

Jix quickly punched in 64766 and the tube opened with a hiss, the greenish liquid spilling out onto the floor, along with its occupant. Zea quickly lunged forward and caught the small alien before he hit the ground and gasped as she felt his skin. Ice cold.

"Just let me sit down." He whispered, and Zea complied, gently setting him up against the wall. Frail antennae flicked back and forth, and No. 1 gasped, drawing in huge amounts of air. "Worm-babies?"

"Yes?" Zea answered him, growing more worried for the alien by the second. He was as pale as the winter snow, the green pigment having been washed out by the liquid.

"Tell your father…" The alien used the last of his energy to grin maniacally. "That he will never find out where she is now." Then he drew in one last shuddering breath, and all went silent.

"No. 1? No. 1!" Zea grabbed the alien's thin shoulders, shaking them gently, looking for some sign of life. There was none. "How could he-!" tears formed in Zea's eyes. Jix looked down at the lifeless form of the creature sadly. And at that moment, both children made a silent vow.

_I will never be like him._


End file.
